Battle of Hoth Board Game Review
Memoire 44 is an incredibly popular title amongst a certain age of gamers, and while the gameplay is fantastic, the World War theme has become a bit lost on newer generations of gamers. But what if that system could be reworked into something more popular, say Star Wars? Fantasy Flight Games made this happen, so let’s take a look at Battle of Hoth and see if the gameplay matches the IP!
I’ve said it before and I will say it again: too often, companies use a fantastic IP as a reason to produce a subpar game. It is Star Wars, of course it will sell! Thankfully, slapping the Star Wars theme on Memoire 44 is not only a good idea, but it works really well too. Players will chose to play either as the Rebel Alliance or the Empire, and take control of those miniatures. Players setup on either side of the Hoth map with three corridors running between opponents. Depending on the scenario selected, players will set up the game in a specific way before beginning play.
Each player will have a deck of cards, and shuffled into that deck of cards will be three leader cards that are a bit more powerful than the others. When playing with teams, players will cut decks in half and add three leader cards to EACH players deck.
After you’ve drawn to your hand limit – this could change based on the scenario – players will take turns starting with whomever the book says should start. On their turn, a player will play one card from their hand and do whatever that card says. In general, cards will allow you to move some of your troops in one specific corridor or all three corridors; or it will direct you to move a set number of troops, or a specific troop. Either way, each troop has their own movement and shooting rules, with the basis being that if you move, you shoot less, and the closer you are to a target, the more dice you get to throw.
Once engaged with another player, dice are thrown and dealt with, either as hits to a unit (specific roles for specific targets), misses, or forcing an opponent to retreat. We won’t get into all the rules of the game, but generally it’s a good thing to completely eliminate an opponent’s troops. Generally – although again, scenario rules may change this – you will get a trophy for eliminating an opponents troops, and the first to a set number of trophies wins the game.
What I love about Battle of Hoth is how simple the basic game really is, but how much is packed into the box to create harder and more interesting scenarios in the future. We haven’t touched on unique unit types, terrain types, and even the included campaigns (2 for you to enjoy). But even when you add in unique units, impassable terrain, and rules around line of sight and defensive cover, the core concepts are still really easy to remember, and adding to them doesn’t feel like that much work. Sure, you might dip into the rulebook once or twice, but it is well laid out and answers are easy to find, we thought.
For many, Battle of Hoth might be the gateway game into tabletop gaming. Yes, this is still very much a board game, utilizing a board with hexes for movement. But it’s not too many steps away from incredible table top gaming opportunities like Star Wars Shatterpoint. I think this game is incredibly well done, and if you enjoy a 1v1 or 2v2 battle game, this is definitely one to look out for. The games play incredibly fast as well, but provide a really deep strategic experience. Planning your movements based on the cards in your hand is immensely satisfying.
There is a downside to this game, as there is to most battle or tabletop games – you are still at the mercy of your dice roles. I played a 4 player game of this with a few friends, and while we positioned ourselves well – got cover, were up on a ridge, etc. – I kept rolling misses so we never took out any troops. We threw lots of dice, and we were strategic in how we got to do that. But we still rolled crap!
And that is bound to happen, and if you are not ok with your strategy being near perfect, but your rolls are abysmal, then perhaps pass on this one. Otherwise, grab a seat in the nearest Snow Speeder or AT-AT because this experience is really fun!
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Article By Adam
